Neji oniisama E
by kittykomitty
Summary: Eastern Academy is a place for rich girls who are not wanted at home, and Hyuuga Hinata happened to be one of them. dark, depressing, shojoai. Rated for Tayuya's language and some mature themes.
1. The Eastern Academy

**Chapter One- the Eastern Academy**

**October 13th**

-You said the Eastern Academy? This is it then. That would be thirty dollars, please.

Hinata got out of the car, and, while Neji paid the cab driver, got her first good look at her new "home".

The Eastern Boarding School Academy for the Young Ladies of Quality.

It was an old stone gothic-style building, four storied high, towering over a stone and fancy metalwork fence. The dark-grey walls were all covered with something that would probably be with in the summer, but now, in the middle of October, it was just a lot of dry branches, crawling up all the way o the roof.

The decorations of the building were magnificent, with stone carvings as well as metalwork, but somehow…It didn't look nice at all.

-Hinata, you carry your backpack and I will take the suitcases,- said Neji, cold as usual. Nevertheless Hinata was really grateful that he was accompanying her on this journey. She would've hated to go all alone. Even if Neji kept glaring at her all the time…

-Hinata, are you listening?

A sharp voice snapped her back to reality.

-Yes, Neji onii-san…- Hinata said. He was standing next to her, carrying her two suitcases. Hinata was advised to take more by her mother, as befit one of the Hyugas, but she simply didn't have anything to fill them with. After all, she wasn't Hanabi…

-Do you want to go in first or not?- asked Neji as the gates opened in from of them and one of the guards made a greeting gesture from his booth.

Hinata sighed and looked again and the grim and creepy building. "Established in 1867" read the small sing on the gates.

Five minutes later they reached the heavy wooden doors. There, a woman with long dark wavy hair was waiting for them.

-My name is Yuuhi Kurenai, and I am the secretary here. You are Hinata-san, I assume?

Hinata nodded.

-Yes…Nice to meet you…Oh, and this is Neji- my cousin. He accompanied me here…

-Oh, pleasure to meet you, Neji-san. Now, follow me. You'll need to sing the final papers.

She led them inside into a magnificent dark stone hall.

-This way,- Kurenai opened one of the doors and waited for them to come in.

-No, leave the suitcases outside, Neji-san. They will be carried upstairs to Hinata-san's room.

Neji did as she said. He didn't feel like speaking. He was still getting over a shock from his first look at this building. And this was a school for teenage girls? This would be a school for Hinata? For shy little Hinata who didn't even feel at home in their own sunlit villa?

* * *

-Shinsen-sama is ready to see you now,- declared Kurenai. -And, Hinata-san, I suggest you leave this backpack here…

Hinata gave the backpack (it was dark grey and had a little Hello Kitty keychan on one of the zippers) to Kurenai and she and Neji entered the principles office.

Behind a huge oak desk a middle-age woman was sitting. Once she must have been beautiful, but now since of the upcoming old age were shoving even thought the layers of makeup. Her eyes were really cold and distant.

Hinata visibly shivered.

-So…Hyuuga children, are you? Nice to meet you, Hinata-san, Neji-san. I am the principle of the Eastern Academy, Shinsen Ayame.

Hinata and Neji bowed. Shinsen-sama motioned them to sit down.

-As you might now, Hinata-san, your mother was once a student of this school,- continued Shinsen-sama.

Neji frowned- no mention of his mother was made. Hyuga Yana came from a poor family, and was considered a disgrace to the Hyugas by everyone, except his father. Not that it mattered much now, since they both were already dead…

Meanwhile, Shinsen-sama continued talking.

-In this school, only a selected few girls are admitted, so you'll be surrounded by the children from the best families in the country. We set very high standards for our students and expect them to meet them.

Neji saw Hinata shiver.

-This school has very strict rules set to maintain discipline and develop qualities in our students that would be fit for the ladies of quality.

Hinata started at her helplessly as Shinsen-sama while the woman continued to speak. Neji looked at Hinata and suddenly remembered that she had never been away from home for more that a week.

-Shinsen-sama,- he said loudly, interrupting the woman. She looked angrily at him.

-My plane leaves in two hours,- he said, bowing his head. Shinsen-sama measured him with a glance full of disgust.

-Very well, Neji-san. I used to know your father, but never got a chance to know your mother. However, I assume you must be a lot like her,- she said rather calmly.

Neji bit his lip but said nothing.

Shinsen-sama turned around and walked towards a small shelf that stood in one of the corners of the room. Neji saw Hinata glance at him questionably.

-Here, Hinata-san, Neji-san, you must sing those papers,- said Shinsen-sama, getting back to them with a few sheets of very fine paper in her hands and handed a copy to both Neji and Hinata.

Neji looked over the papers, which turned out to be a contract. He, as a family member of full legal age (he was 17) was required to sign it. Of course, it should have been his uncle doing this, but he was too "busy" to accompany his own daughter.

Neji handed the papers to Shinsen-sama at the same time as Hinata. She smiled coldly.

-Very well…I'll give you a few minutes to say your goodbyes. I'd go get a something I'll ask you to pass on to your aunt, Neji-san,- said the woman, opening the door and stepping outside.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Neji turned to his cousin.

-Neji…onii-san…- she began to say but couldn't finish her sentence and stopped awkwardly.

Neji looked at her. She blushed and stared at the carpet.

-I guess, good-bye, Hinata,- he said, feeling kind of strange.

-Yes, Neji onii-san, good bye…- she answered, not daring to look up at him.

Neji heard Shinsen-sama's voice behind the door, talking to Kurenai.

Hinata must have heard it too because she got up.

-Listen Hinata…

She turned around and looked at him. Neji hesitated.

-You...you know, if you ever feel like you need to talk to someone you ca write to me you know?- said Neji, taking even himself by surprise, -Of course, I'll keep everything you'll say in secret. I won't tell uncle, or aunt, or anybody…

Hinata's pale eyes widened. Then she smiled gently.

-Thank you, Neji onii-san…

The door opened to reveal Shinsen-sama who was holding a small richly decorated box in her hands. She smiled coldly and handed it to Neji.

-I expect you to take very good care of this during your journey, Neji-san. Farewell. Hinata, follow me!

* * *

Tayuya was walking through the garden from the Hospital Building heading back to her dorm, listening to some very loud music through her headphones…Damn that Temari- the bitch pushed her and she bumped strait into Shinsen-sama, who was coming into their classroom at that very time. Tayuya didn't have her jacket on and the principle instantly noticed her bandaged wrists. So Tayuya was first questioned, then sent to the Hospital, where that stupid Shizune's eyes nearly popped out and she not only spent a fucking lot of time putting those disgusting stitches on, but made her stay in one of the Hospital beds for the whole day, to make sure the wounds closed up.

Temari was seriously asking for it those last few days…and she was going to get it. Tayuya didn't even care if her wrist-cuts opened again- she was going to ruin that beautiful face of the Sabaku girl… grrr…

Suddenly, Tayuya stopped. Something on the forth floor of Dormitory building had caught her eye…Something wasn't right. Suddenly, she realized- there was light on in her dorm!!!

-Damn it, Sabaku!!!- she screamed and run towards the building. Fuck…what on earth Temari was doing in her room? And how did her get the keys- after all, Tayuya lived alone and there was only one set of keys, currently locating in her pocket. Or was it? Franticly, Tayuya reached felt her hip- the familiar spiky lump was there.

Fucking Temari, did she learn to fly or what, thought Tayuya, running up the stairs. Or maybe it wasn't Temari at all; maybe it was Anna- she was crazy enough to simply break the lock…But what the fuck would she want?

Tayuya stopped in front of her room door- it was shut, the look was safely in place. But there were noises coming from the other side of the door.

The girl opened the door, slammed it against the wall.

-What the fuck, Temari???- she asked angrily and then suddenly froze. Temari wasn't anywhere in sight. Instead, a shocked girl with big pale eyes and navy blue hair sat on the bed that was always empty before. A small suitcase was standing next to the closet that was open and Tayuya saw stuff hanging in it that wasn't her own.

The girl looked at her with big shocked eyes and then smiled shyly.

-Hi…You…you must be Tayuya-san…My name is…Hinata. Hyuga Hinata,- she said, blushing.

* * *

_Dear Neji-onii-sama, _

_You've told me that I can write to you so I hope you wouldn't mind receiving this letter from me. _

_I've been placed in room # 404 along with a girl named Monou Tayuya. Her last name seemed familiar to me- then I've remembered that it's Orochimaru-sama's last name, that rather creepy man, who sometimes attended Father's parties. But I don't remember him having any children. In fact, I don't even think he had a wife…_

_There are six girls in my class- including me that is. Their names are Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, Xu Tenten, Sabaku Temari. I wish I could say they are nice but they aren't…Well, they aren't exactly mean either._

_Shinsen-sama has a lot of very strict rules here. For example, our uniform must always be tidy and our hair must be neat and it should never hang loose. Some of the girls, like Tayuya, Ino and Sakura have beautiful long hair so they absolutely hate this rule. Of course, Tayuya doesn't even care for her hair- it's really messy and hasn't been cut for quite a long time. Tayuya just seems to hate any kind of rules._

_She's a really strange person. She seems angry all the time, she uses a lot of filthy language and she always gets into some kind of fight. When I arrived she was in the Hospital building for some reason and only returned to the dorm late in the evening. She stormed into the room, thinking it was Temari or one of the older girls who broke into her room and were going through her stuff. The next day she got into a fight with Temari- I don't know why, but they've been saying really terrible things to each other. That's pretty strange, since in the evening Temari came into our room and she and Tayuya had left and only got back after midnight. Of course, it's not allowed to be out of your room after 11 PM, but Tayuya and Temari didn't seem to care. Today Anna-san, one of the older girls (I'm not familiar with them yet, Anna-san is the only one I've meet, and that happened today for the first time), told them that she saw Anko-sensei, the martial arts teacher, watching them last night. But Shinsen-sama didn't say anything in the morning assembly today so I assume that Anko-sensei said nothing to her…_

_I hope she did, because punishment here is pretty strict. You can get locked up in the detention room, and, from what I've heard, it's just a plain room where they only give you water and you can be stuck there for days, depending on which rule you've disobeyed._

_Staying in your room after 11 PM_ _is considered one of the most important rules here, so Temari warned me to never leave the dorm later. She said that I'll get caught for sure, because I'm "naïve and stupid"._

_Temari might seem quite mean but she'd actually done me a favor by mailing this letter. At first I've wanted to write you an e-mail, but we can only access internet from a computer class, where our activities are strictly monitored by Tsujido-sama, Shinsen-sama's helper._

_I've wanted to have a little of privacy, so I've decided to mail it to you. When Tayuya saw me writing, she said that it's no use sending it openly, since all of our mail gets checked and if there is anything Shinsen-sama doesn't like, we'd have to rewrite it. She said Temari has some way of sending and receiving letters without them getting checked, and that's how she and Tayuya communicate with their brothers. So I gave Temari this envelope. She told me to write to you that if you ever want to send me a reply or something, mail it to whatever address stated on the envelope. I don't know what it would be, since Tayuya said that how they send letters is "none of my business" _

_Sincirely,_

_Hinata._

* * *

Hey, people! You know the drill- read and review.

This was inspired bymanga Oniisama-E, Pieta and some other of Lilicious scanlations.

Mori


	2. A Ghost in the Chapel

**Chapter two- A Ghost in the Chapel**

**October 21st**

-Are you gonna eat that?- asked Tayuya, pointing at Hinata's cherry tomatoes. Hinata looked up, startled- she didn't get a good night's sleep. Tayuya was gone until three o'clock in the morning and her absence kept Hinata worried and wide-awake. So all this morning she found herself drifting off to sleep.

-Hinaaaaataaaa!- Tayuya poked Hinata with her fork.

-Oh…No, you…you can take those,- Hinata said quickly, allowing Tayuya to take the tomatoes.

The day was fair and rather too warm for the end of October, so all six of the Middle Group girls were having their lunch outside, under a big oak tree, sitting behind an old wooden table that was all covered in scratched-out words like "school sucks", "Kin was here" and "Saya+AlexLOVE".

-Tayu-chaaaaann,- yawned Ino, -You can have mine too.

She handed Tayuya her whole lunchbox. Tayuya glared at Ino for being called "Tayu-chan" but accepted the food.

Temari made a face.

-Ino, are you not going to eat again?- she asked.

-I'm on a DIET!- Ino snapped.

-Not like that would help the pig you are!- said Sakura, but stopped eating as well

-You're both extremely stupid,- concluded Tayuya, finishing up Ino's tomatoes, -Gosh, I loooove those!

Ino and Sakura ignored her, being too busy glaring at each other.

-You too, cut it out!- said Tenten lazily, throwing a tomato at them. It hit Ino directly on the head.

-Ouch!

-Hey, Yori do you hear any noise? Sounds like Middle-Group girls' squeaks!- a sharp voice cut into their conversation. Hinata looked up to see Todou Anna, a beautiful slim senior, standing right next to her, along with some other girl Hinata remembered seeing before but couldn't recall her name.

-Get lost, Freaks, - growled Tayuya, getting ready to poke Anna with a fork. Anne Freaks was Anna's nickname and Hinata had to agree it suited her quite well.

-Yori, look! She's got a weapon!- Anna laughed, -Kun-Fork master!

-Armed and dangerous…- absentmindedly continued the girl whom Anna addressed as Yori. She was a bit shorter that Anna, and had long dark hair and a delicate Asian face- like that of a porcelain doll.

-Go to HELL!- Tayuya aimed to poke Anne. Then she added a few more words that Hinata didn't even want to understand.

-Watch your mouth!- said another girl angrily, waking towards them. Brushing her long black hair out of her eyes, she glared at Tayuya.

-Yeah, watch it!!! Or the ghost would come and take you to THE OTHER SIDE!!!- said Anne in a quiet menacing voice, pointing in the direction of the school chapel.

The girls instantly became silent.

-What ghost?- asked Ino, interested.

-Hey, I've heard something like this before…- almost whispered Sakura.

-Yes…last year, the seniors used to scare us with something like this…especially Sei-sama…- continued Tenten.

-It's a school legend,- explained Yori, -But this topic is usually considered a taboo, that's why not that many people know about it-

-Can you tell us?- asked Sakura eagerly.

-Well, the story is that supposedly there is a ghost of a former student haunting the school chapel.  
Temari raised her eyebrow.

-So if she's haunting the chapel, it means that she died there?- she asked.

-Yes, the story says so.

-So how did she die then?

-I wish I knew. Seniors last year wouldn't tell me anything. I don't think they knew either.- sighed Yori.

-You could ask a teacher…- suggested Sakura.

-Great idea! I have an even better one- go and ask Shinsen-sama!- said Anne and she and Tayuya laughed.

-What does the ghost look like?- asked Ino.

-Maybe, she was murdered?- suggested Tenten.

-Or died during a detention,- laughed Temari.

-Which is pretty much the same as being murdered by Shinsen-sama,- hissed Tayuya quietly.

-Stop saying that! Yori, why did you tell them this stupid story?- cut in the third senior girl, clearly frustrated.

-You have anything against it?- asked Anna, taking a step forward.

-Of course I do! Every normal person should,- replied the girl, crossing her arms.

-So you think you're normal, Kishu?

Ino leaned across the table to Hinata, who had been silently listening to this conversation.

-Kishu Arashi-dono,- she whispered, pointing at the girl, -She's unusually angry today. You'd see her nicer side once she calms down.

-Kishu, just shut the fuck up and go back where you came from! - yelled Tayuya. Arashi angrily turned around, glared at Tayuya and Yori and left without a word.

Hinata leaned closer to Ino.

-Ino…what…where does Arashi-dono come from? - she whispered.

-A convent. She was raised there until she was fifteen. Supposedly, that was her mother's dying will. That's why Arashi-dono is so religious. This ghost thing really gets on her nerves. Just now she was coming from the chapel, in case you didn't notice. She likes to pray a lot,- Ino explained.

Meanwhile, Tayuya started to argue with Anna and Yori.

-This sounds like crap to me, Yori,- Tayuya was saying.

-Then you can go to hell! And why one earth did you argue with Arashi then?- Anna asked.

-'Cause that bitch annoys me,- Tayuya replied casually, -And I'm fucking not talking to you, Freaks. Listen, Yori, if you don't want to ask the teachers, I will. How about it, huh?

Anna wanted to say something, but one casual movement of Yori's hand had been enough to instantly stop her.

-Can you, Tayu-chan?- she asked, playing with her black silk hair, -Be my guest then. I can even give you a head start,- she said, smiling.

-And what the fuck would that be?- asked Tayuya.

-First of all, there might not be any ghost, but a girl did die, and it clearly happened before Shinsen-sama's times, but after any of our parents went here. So that makes it….

-About ten to fifteen years ago,- continued Tayuya, -That sure is helpful. Anything else?

-Oh, you're so stupid you can't figure it out yourself?- Anna laughed.

-Anna, let's go,- said Yori. Anna smirked at Tayuya.

-Goooooood luck, Tayu-chan!- she said as they left.

Temari watched them leave.

-Listen, Tayuya, you really are going to go talking to the teachers?- she asked seriously.

-Of course I am!- said Tayuya, getting up, -Right now. Who's with me?- she asked, looking around.

The girls stayed silent. Hinata looked at them, then suddenly…

-I will…I will go,- she said, taking even herself by surprise, -If you…don't mind,- she blushed.

Tayuya raised an eyebrow.

-Sure, Hinata…Good to see that not everyone here is a fucking chicken with some lame excuse. Let's go!- she said, picking up her bag and stuffing her lunchbox there.

* * *

Hinata and Tayuya were walking through one of the school's cold and empty stone hallways. Trying to keep up with Tayuya's fast pace, Hinata was thinking about what Yori had said. 

Everything made sense. If someone actually died during the time Shinsen-sama had been the school's principle, she would have been blamed and fired instantly, in order not to stain school's perfect reputation of being "the finest place to bring up young ladies". And from what Hinata could remember, her mother always said the best things about her school- she never had mentioned anybody _dying_. Hinata was sure that her parents would never allow her to go to school were something fishy had happened to even one of the students- their concern for the reputation of the Hyuuga family was too great. All of this also explained why this topic was a taboo. If those kinds of rumors started to go around… So the only question left was…

-Tayuya, where…where are we going?- Hinata asked, looking around the still-unfamiliar corridors.

-To Shizune, that pathetic doctor, of course!- answered Tayuya, without turning around, -She has all of the school's medical records, and we know pretty much exactly what dates to look through.

This also made sense. Hinata remembered the school's only doctor, Shizune-san- a kind woman, pale and dark-haired. She wondered why on earth Tayuya called Shizune-san pathetic. But then again, Hinata haven't once heard Tayuya say a nice thing about someone.

* * *

Tayuya already had a plan about storming Shizune's office. It involved Hinata "fucking crawling" into the office "moaning" from pain. And while the doctor would be "fussing around her", Tayuya would sneak into the archives room, which could only be accessed from the office. 

Of course, the plan failed miserably. Hinata couldn't (and wouldn't) go to Shizune acting as if she was dying when she wasn't. Tayuya called her a chicken and a lamer, but at that time a senior girl named Fujimiya Naoto came out of the office and told them that Shizune had just left for the bathroom (she had her own, connected to the office). Tayuya dragged Hinata into the room, told her to look sick and distract Shizune for some time while she looked through the files. ("Give me at least ten fucking minutes!") And then she was gone, leaving Hinata to sit on a stool and await the doctor's return.

Hinata shivered- the office gave her creeps. And then there was that ever-present smell of alcohol and medicine. Hinata loathed it, probably because it had been with her pretty much all her life, even in the dreams. Came from spending too much time in the hospitals.

Shizune came into the office, noticed her and smiled.

-What's wrong, Hinata-chan?- she asked.

Hinata almost blushed. This is the part where, according to Tayuya, she was supposed to scream in pain.

-Um….Shizune-san….I've lost the note the doctor gave me about my medicines…So I'm not sure I'm taking all of them and at the right times…-

-Oh…Alright, Hinata. Let me get your papers- I'll look it up for you,- smiled Shizune. -I hope you have been taking Armetin before sleep? That one is very important. And don't forget that if you ever feel sick you should come strait to me…

* * *

-Good job,- said Tayuya, joining Hinata outside the hospital building, clearly surprised. -What did you say to her?-  
-Nothing, really…I've just asked something about…oh well…my medicines,- Hinata explained. She felt really proud of herself, and it did turn out that she was forgetting to take some pills. She looked at Tayuya. 

-What about…did you…find anything?-

Tayuya grinned.

-I sure did…There is a girl, who was in this school about ten years ago. Her name is only in he paper files, and not in the computer catalog,- Tayuya paused, allowing Hinata to devour this information.

-Her files are all fucked up. Somebody had cut out her photo and scratched out pretty much all of the information. Her name was Kin Tsuchi,- Tayuya looked very proud of herself.

-So…you think…it's…the dead girl?- Hinata asked slowly. They were walking right past the chapel.

-Most likely,- Tayuya replied, -There was nothing else fishy. I've even had time to do a double-check,-

-So what do we do now?

-What the fuck do you mean? Now that we know the chick's name, we go terrorizing Anko-sensei!- Tayuya exclaimed.

Terrorizing? That didn't sound all that nice to Hinata. But I've got into this all by myself, she thought, so I guess I'd have to deal with it. And Hinata didn't doubt that she was about to witness something rather extraordinary. She was right; nobody (other than Anna) could rival Tayuya's blackmailing techniques.

* * *

-ANKO-SENSEI!!! We know the truth about Kin Tsuchi!- shouted Tayuya, bursting into Anko's office, -We know that she jumped off the school chapel after getting a detention!!! 

Anko, who was sitting behind her desk, nearly dropped the sweet dumpling that she was eating. Tayuya crossed her arms on her chest and stared Anko-sensei right into the eyes. Hinata shyly came in after her, shutting the door and stopping next to it.

-Alright…- said Anko after getting over the initial shock, -Who's been telling stupid ghost stories again? Morino?

-No! We've figured this out all by ourselves.

At that moment Anko finally noticed Hinata.

-Oh, so Yori's brainwashed poor Hinata-chan as well?- she asked, -You can't even get to the chapel's roof, girls!

-I've told you, Yori's got NOTHING to do with it!- Tayuya said sternly, -But we might as well go and tell her. Bet she'll be interested. Thanks for the idea, sensei.

Tayuya turned around and headed for the door, but Anko suddenly jumped out of her chair and rushed to block Tayuya's way.

-NO!- she almost screamed, -Don't you dare go around telling this shit to people!

Tayuya rolled her eyes at the world "shit" calmly. Hinata, on the other hand, felt nervous- Anko-sensei's reaction to Tayuya's threat was way too strong. Then for a second she though she saw some movement outside the window. Not that that was weird- Anko-sensei's office was located on the first floor.

-Girls, - said Anko very slowly, -How about we make a deal. You leave this office right now and keep quiet about the whole Kin Tsuchi thing, and I won't be saying a thing to Shinsen-sama…

Tayuya frowned.

-No fucking way. We'll tell Yori before you get to Shinsen,

Hinata saw that Anko-sensei was getting nervous. Apparently, telling "ghost stories" to Yori Morino was a pretty serious threat.

-Alright…what do you want?

-The true story. You should know it…sensei,- said Tayuya calmly.

Anko bit her lip. Clearly, she was trying to find some way around telling the story.

-Alright… but you'll promise you'll shut up, right?- Anko hissed, finally giving up. Hinata took a tiny step back, but Tayuya didn't even flinch.

-Deal. We're all ears, sensei.

Anko sighed and returned to her desk.

-There it goes, you pathetic little blackmailer. Yes, there really was a girl called Kin Tsuchi and she really did die. As you might know, I was a student here…for a half a year, but still…it was about ten years ago. Kin was a year younger than me; she was in the middle group. I knew her well enough- of course, she was dark and depressed, but not beyond the...well…_usual. -_

Tayuya laughed.

-Back then, there was this weird _suicide boom _in town. It involved something called 'the Crimson Letter'. Basically, you'd just receive a letter in a crimson envelope, and after that you'd…well, all of the _victims _committed a suicide. Kin got one too,- Anko paused and sighed once again, -She told everyone- the students, the teachers- but no one believed her. After all, where could she have gotten it from? And the very next night she hanged herself. On the willow tree right in front of the chapel at about 2 A.M. And now people say that at that time you can see her ghost there. That's it for the story.

Anko glared at them.

-Now- LEAVE.

Hinata turned to the door, but then realized that Tayuya didn't even move.

-Not so fast. What was written in that letter?- she asked.

-Nobody knows!- replied Anko, starting to chew on her dumpling again, -All the police would find after the suicide would be the envelope. They've never got their hands on the letter itself. Nor on the person who was sending them. The police tried everything. The post offices even stopped selling red envelopes for a while.

-Let me guess- the next letter arrived in a white envelope that was dyed red?

-Exactly. The rumors said that it was dyed with blood.

Anko started playing with the dumpling stick absentmindedly.

-The case's closed now, anyways.

-Why?

-Well, after Kin there were about two more suicides. And then it stopped. Some say it was the fire that broke out in the post office that burned the next letters. But they weren't sent by regular mail, that's for sure. There was a lot of fuss, but gradually everyone forgot and the police closed the case. Even though they say that one policeman went crazy over it.

Anko stopped and glared at Tayuya.

-LEAVE. Or I'll pierce you with this dumpling stick- she threatened.

Tayuya laughed once again.

-Thanks for the bed-time story, sensei- she said, turning around, -And by the way…You can get to the chapel roof quite easily. But I ain't telling you how!

-Um…so you think the story was true?- asked Hinata as she and Tayuya left Anko-sensei's office. She heard a small thud and thought that it must be the dumpling stick hitting the door.

-Most likely…But it was sure easy to get it out of our dear sensei,- Tayuya yawned, -By the way, I think I forgot my pencil case in the history classroom again. I have to go and check. You go on to the dorm. Got the keys?

Hinata nodded and Tayuya quickly left, running towards the stairs- the history classroom was on the third floor.

* * *

There was a letter waiting for her by the door when she arrived- when Kurenai-san had time, she delivered the mail to students herself. The envelope was marked with a Hyuga family emblem. For a second Hinata almost thought that Neji had written to her, but then she realized that it was from Hanabi. 

The letter was already opened (Shinsen went through all of their correspondence), but Hinata just couldn't read it for some reason and put it on the table. There it lay while she stared at it, until it grew dark and Tayuya arrived, clearly just out of a fight with someone, because her face was flushed, her hair was even messier than usual, and she was muttering curses under her breath. She insisted that Hinata opened it, and so she did.

_Hey, Hinata!_

_How are you doing at that school of yours? Personally, I think going to a boarding school would be fun. A lot better than staying at home, that's for sure, because here I sometimes feel like I'm locked up here. (No, I'm NOT grounded again). I've asked Mother if I can go too, but she said no. Of course, I wouldn't want to go to a boarding school for _girls. _It's no fun without guys. Not like you'd understand that, but still._

_Father's still working all the time and Neji's still being the grim freak he usually is. But a really handsome freak. I wish some girl would knock some sense into his head. Too bad that I can't- we're cousins and all that… And Mother's got herself a new amazing dress she's gonna wear for a party at the Uchiha's next month. I'm going too. They say that Uchiha Sasuke is really good-looking guy, but he's away at a boarding school too- at the same town you're in. His brother, Itachi, is supposedly gorgeous as well…But he's nineteen!!! That sucks- I'm only fourteen and he'll think I'm too young for him._

_Okay, now I'll tell you the reason I'm writing to you. Uchiha's are an "old and well-respected" family, right? (Gosh, how I get tired of hearing that all the time…) Well, Father said that he'd like to "make an alliance with them". I think that means…he might want one of us to MARRY either Sasuke or Itachi. (There is another "young bachelor" in their family, but he's over twenty- too old for either of us, I think.) And since you're the older one and the heir person, Father might want it to be YOU. What do you think about having a fiancé? I think that would be really cool. How about this- you get Itachi and I get Sasuke? That sounds fare._

_Well, I'll tell you more next month, after the party at the Uchiha's- I'm sure Father will make an announcement if he had arranged a marriage. Maybe he won't…After all, aren't we like way too young? Not that I mind marrying a handsome rich man of any age, even if he's a pedophile…_

_Gotta go,_

_Hanabi_

Tayuya was reading the letter over Hinata's shoulder.

-That Hanabi's your younger sister, right?- she asked.

-Yes…- nodded Hinata, putting the letter aside and sitting down on her bed.

-Must be a freak if she thinks about marriage at fourteen…By the way, I actually know the Uchiha Sasuke fucker- he's a student at the Lawndale Academy here.

Hinata looked up at her.

-So what's…he like?- she asked.

-Nothing much…good-looking, I have to admit that. Probably the best…one of the best-looking boys in this town. But he sure is a cold-hearted bastard. If he IS your fiancé, too bad for you…

-Most likely he's not….Hanabi just likes talking about that kind of stuff…

* * *

The school was not religious. The girls of the Eastern Academy were not required to pray, to be baptized or to even believe in God. But the campus itself was old, and so a small chapel was cramped in between two school building, a leftover from the times when nobody could even imagine an education without a morning prayer. Now it was useless, abandoned and empty, just like most other buildings of this once prosperous school. 

Hinata woke up in the middle of the night to see Tayuya ready to leave the room.

-Hey….Tayuya…where?- she asked sleepily, turning on the light.

-Shut up!- hissed Tayuya and rushed to her to turn the light off.

-You're not…- Hinata glanced and the alarm clock. 1:40 A.M. -You're going to the chapel, right?-

-Yes…Got a problem with that?- Tayuya whispered angrily.

-Don't go!- Hinata climbed out of bed, but Tayuya already left the room, silently shutting the door behind her.

-Tayu….

Hinata rushed into the corridor only to hear Tayuya's dying footsteps on the staircase. The girl looked around, frightened, and then hurried after her roommate.

The stone floor was cold and the ground outside was simply freezing but Hinata had no time to search for her slippers when she left the room. Shivering, she ran as fast and as quiet as she could until she caught up with Tayuya in the courtyard. She was about to say something when Tayuya grabbed her and closed her mouth with her palm.

-Hush!- she whispered. Her hands were warm.- Do you realize, where we are standing?

Hinata looked around. And then she saw it. An old tree that she paid no attention to before. The tree that spread its creepy leafless branches right in front of the chapel. Tayuya removed her hand.

-She hanged herself there…- Hinata whispered.

-Yes… the perfect place. Come on,- Tayuya grabbed Hinata's hand and dragged her towards the door.

It wasn't much warmer inside the chapel and the stone floor was just as cold as the ground outside. It was quiet in a very eerie way and the moonlight was shining through once colorful but now old and dusty stained-glass windows.

-It's almost two o'clock,- Tayuya yawned. Hinata thought about the warm bed upstairs and the physics test tomorrow. She shuddered.

And then they've heard it. Some weird was noise coming from the South gallery, the one that lead out of the Chapel into the Second school building. The girls both turned around in a flash towards the source of noise and to their horror saw a formless white shape appear from the gallery and dash towards them. Hinata gasped and squeezed Tayuya's hand.

The next moment the shape was already past them and headed towards the North gallery, moving in a strange bizarre way as if it tried to jump up every other step. Tayuya wrestled out of Hinata's grip and ran after the thing. Hinata started in shock as she saw Tayuya's back disappearing into the darkness.

She was left alone. Completely alone. There were no sounds- the quietness was unreal. Hinata's feet were freezing.

-Not scared,- she whispered to herself.- I'm not scared…I'm not scared…- she shut her eyes.

-What's wrong?- a voice asked her. Hinata opened her eyes, suppressing a scream. A long-haired pretty girl dressed in the school uniform was looking at her with concern.

-Are you scared?- she asked and Hinata nodded. The girl smiled sadly.

-All alone in the chapel at night, dressed only in your nightgown? Gosh,- she sighed.- You'd be in B-I-G trouble if you'd get caught. Come on, let's go…

Hinata nodded and took a step forward but the girl motioned her to stop.

-Oh, and by the way… can you please take this?- the girl handed her some dark thin object. Hinata instinctively reached out, but the moment her fingers touched whatever the girl was holding she noticed something. The moon was lighting the chapel, yet… the girl had no shadow. She looked up and saw the girl nod.

-Take it,- she said and Hinata realized what she was touching- it was a red envelop. She screamed and then everything went dark.

* * *

-Hikari…Hikari…wait, was it Hikari? Haruhi? Haruhi! Wake up, chicken ass! 

Hinata opened her eyes and instantly gasped. She was lying on the stone floor and a girl dressed completely in white was sitting next to her, trying to shake her awake.

-Shut up,- said the figure, covering Hinata's mouth with her hand.- Your scream was already loud enough for the whole school to hear.

And then Hinata realized that it was Anna Todou, dressed in a white nightgown and wrapped into a white blanket.

-Anna-san?- she sat up, completely confused. Her body was beginning to go numb from cold.- So, that white ghost…it was you?

Anna laughed.

-Man, I can't believe that you got scared by that! And you even scream because of me, didn't you?

Hinata nodded.

-And Tayu-chan saw right through me- that's why she decided to chase me.

Anna got up, still laughing, and looked around.

-Hey…you should leave. Your scream must have woken Shinsen already.

-But what about Tayuya? - Hinata asked.

-Oh, I've locked her in broom closet that's right at the end of the North Gallery, - replied Anna casually.- You can go get her if you want, but I'm out of here.

And with that she was off quickly, leaving Hinata all alone again. The girl looked around- there was no sigh of Kin. Or the letter. Was it just a hallucination?

-Not scared…- she whispered to herself once again.- I'm not scared…

She ran towards the broom closet as fast as she could. The door was locked and she heard some sort of bangs inside.

-Tayu, it's me!- she whispered urgently and opened the door. Tayuya dashed out of the closet, and Hinata saw that her hands and feet were blue from the cold.

-Thanks,- she whispered and her teeth started to chatter.- I…though…I was going to fre…reeze there. That Anna…

-What are you doing here?- screamed a way too familiar voice and they've heard footsteps. Hinata pushed Tayuya, trying to get her to run, but Tayuya's legs gave out and she and Hinata fell to the floor.

-We're screwed,- commented Tayuya unhappily the footsteps grew closer and closer. Hinata tried to get up, but before she could do anything a pair of strong hands grabbed her and yanked her up.

-Hyuga! Monou!- Shinsen-sama snapped as Tsujido-sensei pulled Tayuya up. The girl tried to kick him,

–You broke the rules. That means detention, girls.

Detention!?- Hinata's mind screamed- DETENTION!?

They were dragged to the basement where Shinsen opened some door Hinata was pushed inside. Tayuya was still held in Tsujido's iron grip. Hinata saw him sharply turn Tayuya to face the principle.

-Monou, you're really starting to get on my nerves…- Shinsen said threateningly.

-Ha!,- Tayuya spat back.- I feel the same, you old bitch…Can't you leave us alone and worry about your own life? Oh, wait…- she paused,- You haven't got one!

The next second Hinata heard the sound of a slap.

-Monou… I would have thrown you out of here ages ago if not for you father… Only his power keeps you here. Do you realize that you're nothing without his money and connections? Sometimes I find myself wishing that Sabaku didn't pick the lock that time!

With that Shinsen showed the girl into the room and locked the door. Tayuya slammed a fist into the wall in anger. Her cheek was red.

-Tayuya…- Hinata whispered uncertainly. The girl turned around and smiled weakly.

-Welcome to detention, I guess,- she said.

It was nothing like Temari had described. A simple room with a neatly made bed and a table in the corner. There where school books lying on it along with some paper and pencils. And it was warm- apparently the heating system reached into the basement as well. There was a little of light coming from a small window near the low ceiling.

-Fucking Anna…- Tayuya cursed some more.- I bet you _she_ didn't get caught! The bitch!

She punched the wall again. At that moment Hinata's glace fell on one of Tayuya's wrists and she saw stitches going up along the line of the vein. She gasped.

-What?- asked Tayuya, turning around.

-N...nothing…I mean…- Hinata quickly looked around, trying to find a different subject for a conversation,-There's only one bed…

-We'll have to deal with this,-Tayuya shrugged,- The second detention room has the heating system broken again, so Shinsen had to throw us both in here… You don't mind sharing the bed, do you?

Hinata smiled.

-No, not at all,- she said as she climbed under the blanket. Tayuya laughed and jumped on the bed.

-Fuck, you're so cold!- the girl complained as she joined Hinata.- Come here,- and with that she pulled Hinata into an embrace.

-You know…- Tayuya whispered into Hinata's hair,- Thanks a lot.

-For what?

-You came for me. You could have left along with Freaks but you went to lock me out. Thanks…

-You're welcome.

-Good night.

-Good night.

* * *

-Anna-san… 

Anna turned around.

-What is it, Hikari?- she asked.

-It's Hinata.

-Ah, who cares?

-Anna-san, you were listening to Anko-sensei's explanation yesterday, weren't you? Outside the window?

-I was, - Anna laughed.- Do tell Tayu-chan that she did a great job. Blackmailing the teacher like that...

-How many people have you told about the story?

-Only Yori. And she has told Kamiyama. That's it.

-So you'll keep it secret?

-Of course, - Anna shrugged.- Why are you staring at me?

-You don't want for our parents to pull us out of here or for the school to close…do you? You… you like it here, right?

-That's none of your business, freak, -snapped Anna and left quickly. Hinata watched her go, smiling to herself.

* * *

_Dear brother Neji,_

_I hope you're doing okay… I…well, a lot has happened lately (I'll tell you later on) and I completely forgot about something. In the letter that Hanabi had sent to me…oh, it looks like she'll be trying to find you a girlfriend. I hope she hasn't started already- I know that will annoy you a lot. Hanabi wants what she thinks is best, I'm sure of it, but she just can't understand that might get on other people's nerves. Don't get me wrong- I love Hanabi…I actually miss her here, even if we hardly got to talk back home. But I've used to watch her when she hanged out in the garden. _

_I haven't felt well recently, because I didn't take any of my pills the day I was in detention- I think Shinsen-sama forgot that I need them, but she did let me out once the doctor, Shizune-san, talked to her (Naoto-san told me that). By the way, Tayuya is locked up in detention again, this time along with Yori. (They still haven't fixed the heating in the second room. I have a feeling that either Tayuya or Anna had something to do with that.)_

_I don't know what Yori has done, but Tayuya refused to brush her hair when Shinsen-sama had ordered her to. It's really quiet without Tayuya around, but I'm already used to it- Tayuya spends more time in detention than she does out of it. She jokes that she would have moved there permanently if that didn't spare Shinsen-sama the trouble of dragging her into the basement every time. _

_Today, Anna-san came into the room (I'm used to that too- she likes to laugh at me for thinking she was a real ghost and passing out. Yes, that was pathetic, I know…) and told me that we'll be "allowed out" next week and that Tayuya better behave herself, or she "won't see someone she wants to see". I've asked Ino and she told me that from time to time Shinsen-sama lets us visit the city to hang out and do the shopping. I hope that what Anna-san said is true- I really want to get out of the academy even for a few hours._

_Ino has given me a book to read- "Solaris". I've loved it. I think I remember seeing you read it, and…_

* * *

Gosh. It took me more than a year to update this. But you might be happy to hear that ch.3 is half-written already and that this story now actually has a plot. (ZOMG!) There will be about ten or eleven chapters + the epilogue. Gosh… will I ever finish writing this? 

Oh, and in case you didn't realize- Hinata didn't tell anybody about Kin's ghost that she saw- everyone believes that she screamed because of Anna. Poor Hinata-chan herself isn't sure whether it was a hallucination or not. What do you think?

Thanks to all of my reviewers! Because of you I've even bothered to continue this.

By the way, about Anna and Yori. They are not exactly OCs- Anna's is inspired by a character in the manga called "Anne Freaks" and Yori is almost exactly like one of the main characters from "Goth".


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